Earth Cube

Exploration of a hybrid

Earth cube was the an exploration of a hybrid nalukettu (traditional kerala house) It was an attempt to adapt the features of a traditional nalukettu to the present day accounting for the behavioral changes and needs of the users over the past 30 to 40 years

Project/Site

Mr Unnikrishnawarrier and Mrs.Geetha Kumari, both born and brought up in large joint families, moved out of the same as the professional career started. They choose this calm site near mr. warrier's ancestral property after retirement with the dream of entering back into the system of living together with the large family around.

The site is located far from the main road, in a purely residential area, The site though little far away from main road was chosen due to the presence of siblings living nearby so as, to have the same togetherness which they once cherished in a joint family. The site faces relatively young teak plantation, a seasonal space - fresh and green during monsoons and dry and dull in summers. The backside being barren land.

The large spaces of the traditional Nalukettu (typical kerala housing typology), helped accommodate people and multiple activities while the wooden walls reduced light and increased dampness in the heavy monsoons. The inner water court brought in light and at the same time dampness. The outer yard was the family space facing the farm. The outer buffer zone reduced the heat insides. A few of these qualities were remodeled for the present day and the user requirements. Keeping the spatial qualities in tact and at the same time modifying the thermal conditions and lighting possibilities to a new level a HYBRID was created and experimented with.

The large spaces of the traditional Nalukettu (typical kerala housing typology), helped accommodate people and multiple activities while the wooden walls reduced light and increased dampness in the heavy monsoons. The inner water court brought in light and at the same time dampness. The outer yard was the family space facing the farm. The outer buffer zone reduced the heat insides. A few of these qualities were remodeled for the present day and the user requirements. Keeping the spatial qualities in tact and at the same time modifying the thermal conditions and lighting possibilities to a new level a HYBRID was created and experimented with.